On The Other Hand
by Tweetie Pie
Summary: Richard White finds out, after five years with Lois, that Jason is not his son. WIP but please read and review! Feedback welcome!Implied slash, RichardSuperman. Post Superman Returns.
1. Richard

On the other hand.

A/N: Superman doesn't belong to me (although I wish he did!) and I didn't make any money from this story. Set post Superman Returns. Implied slash Richard/Superman.

Also, this is modified, so that Superman isn't giving Richard a mobile number.

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Richard White held on to the heavy marble that surrounded the bathroom sink. He felt sick, like the world had dropped out from underneath him and his stomach was roiling from the swiftness of it.

He reached down to the running faucet and took another palm full of water.

"Jason isn't your son..."

The whispered confession that Lois had made still whipped around him, chastising him for ever believing that what they had shared was special. Five years and it was all a lie!

He choked back a sob, raising blood-shot eyes to the mirror and looked at the wretch standing there. Unshaved, unkempt, his face tracked with tears, Richard White had spent the last two hours falling apart.

Lois had taken the easy way out; she'd gathered up her son... HER son, not his. Then had left, God only knew where.

The blue eyes of the boy he'd believed to be his own son would haunt him forever. He gazed at the dark brown of his own eyes and cursed himself for a fool. "Richard White, first class idiot." he said through clenched teeth. With a snarl full of rage, he hurled his fist at the mirror and then choked on another sob as he watched the pink of his own blood swirl with the clear, cool water in the sink.

All he wanted to do was curl up and die. His whole world was gone and all he had were the superficial trappings of money and no happiness.

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The wind whipped around him, chilling Richard through the white shirt he wore. A white shirt with a red cuff. He looked down at the make-shift bandage he'd made out of towels and sighed softly.

How does one call Superman? There's no phone number. No e-mail address or post office box. He could put an advert in the messages column of the Planet, but there's no guarantee that Superman would have the time to read such dross.

Richard gingerly clenched his blooded fingers, the pain reminding him that he was alive. He shifted his position on the ledge and slowly, carefully sat down. A small crowd had started to form below him, dull voices trying to reach him from ten storeys down. But they wouldn't make him change his mind.

He stared down at the seething streets below the Planet and contemplated his next move. Would he jump? Well, it must have seemed like a good idea at the time. But now, even in his grief, Richard knew that wasn't why he was here.

How do you contact Superman? You make him come to save you.

A flash of red and blue caught his attention and Richard turned dispassionately towards the figure that floated about two feet away. "I wondered how long it would take you to get here." he mumbled disconsolately.

"Mr White." Superman's face softened "Richard, there's no need for you to be..."

"No need for me to be what!" he snapped, standing up and snarling. "Jealous? Angry? Suicidal?" For emphasis, he took a little step further off the edge, only half his feet now on solid ground. "You stole the heart of my fiancée, again. You fathered a child on her and then you LEFT! And now, when you come back, she goes running to YOU!" Richard jabbed a finger at the chest of the Man of Steel with each statement, but the vehement punctuations pushed him just that little off balance and before he knew it, Superman was flying upwards with him held gently in those arms.

Richard raised his gaze to the azure eyes of the man that held him and for a moment, just a brief moment; he could understand why Lois ran to him. The man was perfection embodied and wrapped with a red, blue and gold sheath.

Richard hardly realised that his feet were now on the solid ground of the roof of the Planet, until Superman turned and started to walk away. "Wait" he said, half pleading and hating himself for the tone of his voice. "I... should apologise."

"It's alright, Mr White. You had quite a lot to drink." came the mellow timbre of Superman's voice from across the roof. Richard watched for a moment, thinking how like a statue the other man looked. Standing near the edge, silhouetted by the Metropolis skyline, as his cloak fluttered in the breeze. Superman's eyes held such a look of pity, but the anger that Richard had felt had burned itself to a small ember.

"I... know you're a busy man." He took a deep breath, unsure if Superman knew what had happened this evening. "I wonder if we could... meet, we need to..." he hesitated, chewing the inside of his cheek "we need to talk about your son."

There. He'd said it. Now the ball was in Superman's court, so to speak.

Kal-el stepped down from the edge and approached Richard, sad that the man had discovered the secret that Lois had only shared with him until now. He hesitated, for once struck dumb and unable to find the right words. The wind played around the sharp planes of his face, stirring the kiss-curl that rested on his forehead before he moved his eyes to Richard's. Ears alert for sounds of disaster, there was nothing stopping these men from speaking openly and honestly. "I never wanted you to find out."

"Why?" Richard questioned, taking a step closer.

"Because I can never give Lois what she needs from a man. Not as Superman." There were tears struggling to emerge from his throat, but Kal-el refused to let his emotions change his voice.

"Can you be so cold, when you know that she loves you?"

Superman turned and looked up at the occluded stars in the sky, his voice taking on a wistful tone. "I love her, too." he whispered "But I am not human, which means that I cannot be for her all that she needs. It is why I tried to encourage her to be with you."

"You must be close enough to Human, Superman, or you couldn't have given her a baby."

"I gave up all of this, Richard; to be with her." finally, the Man of Steel turned and looked at Richard "I used the science of my people to become Human, for Lois." Richard frowned, seeing tears on those chiselled cheeks, but listened as he continued. "I had one night with her, one night in which to show her how much she means to me. But fate intervened and I had to reverse the procedure. I... can't do it again, I wouldn't survive it."

Richard gasped softly at the revelation, but when he realised how much Superman had given up for one night, a sudden moment of pride warmed him. He'd had nearly five years with the woman they loved.

"Richard, I may have been raised Human, but now there is no way I can become Human again." Superman sighed, his shoulders slumping in an attitude that the reporter never thought he'd see; defeated, all Richard wanted to do was comfort this bulwark before him. "I needed to know Lois was safe, which is why I never came between you two."

"But it's all a lie, Superman. Knowing that she's in love with you, I can't compete with that."

"Yes, you can. You give her a family. And while Jason may be my son, biologically, you're more of a father to him than I can ever be."

"She left me, Superman. Because I can't live up to the same perfection she sees in you."

Superman shook his head, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "She needs time to cool off. You know how Lois can be."

Richard couldn't help but give a small laugh. "I suppose so. Do you really think I can get her back?"

"You have to, my friend. For her sanity. For me. You need to be all to her that I can never be."

Richard flexed his fingers, wincing at the pain where he'd hit the mirror. He saw Superman's eyes fixed to the make-shift bandage "You should get that sewn up at the hospital. Do you want a lift?"

To be held in those arms again? Richard hesitated, and then shook his head. "No, it wouldn't be fair. My car's downstairs, I can get there myself."

"If you need me," Superman held out a small man's bracelet, the gem gleaming blue under the subdued lights of the city. "When you need me, just press into the gem, I'll hear you. I want to be sure there's no bad-blood between us, Richard, it's important to me."

Richard sighed, looking down at the bracelet. By the time he looked up with a good answer on his lips, Superman had flown away.


	2. Lois

On the other hand. Chapter 2

A/N: Superman doesn't belong to me (although I wish he did!) and I didn't make any money from this story. Set post Superman Returns. Implied slash Richard/Superman.

Also, I modified chapter 1, so that Superman isn't giving Richard a mobile number (if you had read the original version of it, please just re-read the last paragraph or two…).

The flame of her lighter flickered, as Lois tried to light her cigarette. She paused a moment, half wishing that the flame would snuff-out, like it did the last time she flew with Superman.

"I still say that they're bad for you, Lois." Said the Man of Steel, as he watched from the roof.

Lois turned and gazed up at him, then sighed and looked away. "I know they are," she whispered "but right now I'm feeling just a bit self-destructive."

"It's about Richard finding out, isn't it." The statement held no question, merely facts. "You know you've hurt him, but you couldn't see any other way." Superman drifted down to join Lois on the balcony of the hotel room she had rented.

"That's not it at all!" she started, but as she turned and looked up at him, she knew in her heart she was lying. "Well, not entirely" she sighed "I just wish I knew how best to let him down, Superman."

"Lois, you shouldn't have to." Taking a deep breath, he continued gently "Richard still loves you, it just came to him as a shock, is all." He took a step forward, resisting the urge to reach out and touch her, to try and console her. The tears that stood out in her eyes bewildered him, but also tugged at the fear that he tried to hide. The fear that Lois Lane was irrevocably and inextricably in love with Superman.

Lois sighed, crumpling up the cigarette and taking a step closer. He smelled so good, so masculine and yet… his eyes told her another story. "I can't be with him, knowing how I feel about you, Superman."

Holding a finger to her lips, he gently hushed her "Lois, you know we can't be together."

"I..." she paused and looked away. "I guess I always hoped you'd change your mind. After your travels and all."

"No, Lois, I can't. I can't put you in danger and now that Jason's here, I can't risk him. He's so precious, we can't risk his life just with the fact that you're linked to me."

"Jason…" she turned and looked into the room where he son was sleeping. "I... guess you're right." Her shoulders slumped as the knowledge weighed her down. "But you know I love you, don't you?"

He laughed softly and nodded "I've known that for a long time, Lois. It's how I survive each day, knowing that there's someone out there who sees me for what I really am. Who sees me as a person, rather than an icon."

"It must be so lonely, having no one you can talk to." Lois looked up, into those blue eyes and longed for one moment to hold him, to try and show him that he didn't have to be alone. "I remember that once I showed you what it would be like." She broke off, not knowing where she was going with this. "I still want to be there for you, Superman. I want to be someone you don't have to hide from."

Lois looked so kissable standing there and it took all of his willpower not to bend down and scoop her up. Ultimately, though, he stepped backwards, limited by the space in the balcony. It was enough, though, for him to take a deep breath and refuse the offer. "For no reason other than I do love you, Lois," he whispered. "I can't let you destroy your life, or put your own life at risk just because of me."

"But I WANT to give you this, Superman. I WANT to be a part of your life, both as a friend and as more, if you'll have me."

As Lois stepped forward, Superman crossed his arms and floated up and backwards, over the railing. "Lois, you… don't remember how it turned out last time, I made sure of that. But when you and I were together, it was fantastic. You knew all of the truth, and for one night I never regretted our meeting. Nor did I regret that I'd fallen in love with you. Until Lex Luthor and Zod came." He sighed, not even sure if Lois remembered much of that encounter.

Flashes of memory had eluded her, but Lois was undaunted. She could see in his eyes the abiding love he held for her, could see the pain and loss in his face. "I don't care." She said, vehemently, her hands finding her hips in defiance. "Look, Superman, you're the one man in this world who really means everything to me. You're the one man I'd die to protect. And you're the only one who…" she stopped, biting her tongue.

"There are other men, Lois, like Richard. He loves you and truly wants you to be happy. I don't see why you can't be with him?" He hated himself for saying it, but he had to try, because nothing he could bring to Lois would ever bring her happiness.

"But you're the only one who can make me happy" she whispered, defeated.

"No, Lois. I saw the way you would look at Richard when I returned. I saw the secret smiles, the little touches… small things that you can only give to someone if you truly are in love with them. With your love for me, it's a case of nothing more than infatuation."

"Never!" she hissed, stepping forward to clutch at the rail, only to watch in frustration as Superman floated a little further away. "I love you, Superman, for who you are!" A flash of memory came to her as she looked up at the Man of Steel. A little knowledge that she shouldn't have remembered, then she gasped. "I love you, no matter who you are, Clark." She whispered, a little crestfallen, yet somewhat elated that she remembered when he hadn't wanted her to.

Superman blinked, trying not to show his surprise. But the surprise was momentary, considering how strong-willed Lois was. He regarded her silently, seeing how her eyes begged him for something more than he felt able to give her. "Lois, I can't be what you want from me," he whispered finally. "I can only be me and I have a duty to this planet, to more than just the…"

A scream stopped his words and he looked up with a frown. He'd been so wrapped up in this conversation with Lois he'd failed to hear the sounds of emergency, only two blocks away! As he turned to look, an orange glow had started to form, flames licking at the night sky.

"I have to go."

As Superman turned to leave, Lois reached out "Will you come back tonight?"

"I'll try."

And with that, Superman left in silence.


End file.
